[NFB-NM] FW: Nonvisually-Accessible Absentee Ballot Marking

[Tonia Trapp]

Tonia Trapp, secretary

National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico

nfbnewmexicosecretary at gmail.com

www.nfbnm.org

 

Live the life you want.

 

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.

 

From: Curtis Chong [mailto:chong.curtis at gmail.com] 
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2018 10:36 AM
To: Tonia Trapp
Subject: Nonvisually-Accessible Absentee Ballot Marking

 

Greetings Everyone:

 

I am pleased to tell you that voters in New Mexico who are blind or visually
impaired can now mark their printed absentee ballots using low-vision or
nonvisual access technology. This is the first time in the history of our
state that the blind have been able to do this, and it all came about
because of the strong partnership between the National Federation of the
Blind of New Mexico and our Secretary of State, Maggie Toulouse Oliver.

 

Through this email, I want to provide you with the information you will need
to take advantage of this historic opportunity. By now, you should already
be registered to vote, and your current address should be in the system. If
this is not the case, you have until May 8 to register to vote or to correct
your address.

 

To take advantage of this historic opportunity, you must have a working
email address and a printer. The email address is needed so that you can
receive a link to your personalized ballot when voting actually begins-as
early as May 8. The printer is needed so that you can create paper copies of
your ballot and your voter certificate, which you will mail or deliver to
the county clerk.

 

When you apply for the absentee ballot and also when you actually go on line
to vote, you will be asked to supply three pieces of information:

 

*	your State Identification number,
*	your Social Security number, and
*	your date of birth.

 

Here is a brief summary of how all of this is going to work.

 

1.         You, the blind voter, visit the state's Voter Information Portal
<www.nmvote.org> to apply for an accessible absentee ballot. If everything
works as it should, you should be able to do this as early as Monday, April
30.

 

2.         When your application has been verified and approved, the county
clerk will mail you an official absentee ballot return envelope packet.

The smaller envelope in the packet-the one with the hole in it-is meant to
hold your printed ballot. This prevents anyone from associating the ballot
with you.

The larger envelope will hold the smaller ballot envelope and the printed
voter certificate, which you will have signed and dated.

 

3.         When voting actually begins (as early as May 8), you will be sent
via email a link to your personalized ballot along with detailed
instructions for marking the ballot.

 

4.         Once you have marked and reviewed your ballot, you will print the
ballot itself and a voter certificate. The certificate must be signed and
dated. The ballot, as printed, is now ready to be inserted into its secure
envelope.

 

5.         The ballot envelope and the signed certificate are inserted into
the larger envelope and mailed or delivered to the county clerk.

 

If things go according to plan, starting on Monday, April 30, you should be
able to visit the Voter Information Portal at www.nmvote.org to:

 

*	register to vote,
*	update your current voter registration, and
*	apply for an absentee ballot.

 

During the application process, you will be asked if you require an absentee
ballot that is accessible for the blind or visually impaired. If you say
that you do, you will then be asked to certify the following statement:

 

"I hereby state under penalty of perjury that the following is true and
correct:

 

"I am an individual who is blind or visually impaired, and my blindness or
visual impairment prevents me from being able to independently complete a
standard absentee ballot;

 

"I understand and agree that this statement is made under penalty of perjury
pursuant to federal law. I further understand and agree that this statement
is also covered by New Mexico law which makes perjury a 4th degree felony."

 

Once you have completed the application and certified blindness or visual
impairment, matters will proceed as described above.

 

Remember that, barring any unanticipated developments, all of this should
start on Monday, April 30.

 

Please feel free to contact me directly at chong.curtis at gmail.com if any of
this is either not clear or confusing. Thank you.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Curtis Chong

 

 

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